Why did Krishna not save the Pandavas when they played dice with Duryodhana & Shakuni?

Why did #Krishna not save the Pandavas when they played dice with Duryodhana & Shakuni? Wonderful explanation by Krishna himself in this story:

Krishna and Uddhav

From his childhood, Uddhava had been with Krishna, charioting him and serving him in many ways. He never asked for any wish or boon from Sri Krishna.

When Krishna was at the verge of completing His Avatar, he called Uddhava and said,
"Dear Uddhava, in this avatar of mine, many people have asked and received boons from me; but you never asked me anything. Why don’t you ask something now? I will give you.
Let me complete this avatar with the satisfaction of doing something good for you also".

Even though Uddhava did not ask anything for himself, he had been observing Krishna from his childhood. He had always wondered about the apparent disconnect between Krishna’s teachings and actions, and wanted to understand the reasons for the same.

He asked Krishna, "Lord, you taught us to live in one way, but you lived in a different way. In the drama of Mahabharat, in the role you played, in your actions, I did not understand many things. I am curious to understand the reasons for your actions. Would you fulfil my desire to know?"

Krishna said, "Uddhava, what I told Arjuna during the war of Kurukshetra was Bhagavad Gita. Today, my responses to you would be known as ‘Uddhava Gita’. That is why I gave this opportunity to you. Please ask without hesitation.’

Uddhava starts asking, "Krishna, first tell me who is a real friend?"

Krishna says, "The real friend is one who comes to the help of his friend in need even without being called."

Uddhava: "Krishna, you were a dear friend of the Pandavas. They trusted you fully as Apadhbhandava (protector from all difficulties). Krishna, you not only know what is happening, but you know what is going to happen. You are a great gyani. Just now you gave the definition of a true, close friend. Then why did you not act as per that definition. Why did you not stop Dharmaraj (Yudhishtra) from playing the gambling game?"

"Ok, you did not do it; why did you not turn the luck in favour of Dharmaraj, by which you would have ensured that dharma wins. You did not do that also. You could have at least saved Dharmaraj by stopping the game after he lost his wealth, country and himself. You could have released him from the punishment for gambling. Or, you could have entered the hall when he started betting his brothers. You did not do that either."

At least when Duryodhana tempted Dharmaraj by offering to return everything he lost if he bet Draupadi (who always brought good fortune to Pandavas), you could have intervened and with your divine power, you could have made the dice roll in a way that is favorable to Dharmaraj. Instead, you intervened, only when Draupadi almost lost her modesty and now you claim that you gave clothes and saved Draupadi’s modesty; how can you even claim this – after her being dragged into the hall by a man and disrobed in front of so many people, what modesty is left for a woman? What have you saved?"

"Only when you help a person at the time of crisis, can you be called ‘Apadhbandhava’. If you did not help in the time of crisis, what is the use? Is it Dharma?"

As Uddhava posed these questions, tears started rolling from his eyes.

These are not the questions of Uddhava alone. All of us who have read Mahabharata have these questions.

On behalf of us, Uddhava had already asked Krishna.

Bhagavan Krishna laughed, "Dear Uddhava, the law of this world is: ‘only the one who has Viveka (intelligence through discrimination), wins’. While Duryodhana had viveka, Dharmaraj lacked it. That is why Dharmaraj lost."

Uddhava was lost and confused.

Krishna continues : "While Duryodhana had lots of money and wealth to gamble, he did not know how to play the game of dice. That is why he used his Uncle Shakuni to play the game while he placed the bet. That is viveka."

"Dharmaraj also could have thought similarly and offered that I, his cousin, would play on his behalf. If Shakuni and I had played the game of dice, who do you think would have won? Can he roll the numbers I am calling or would I roll the numbers that he is asking for. Forget this. I can forgive the fact that he forgot to include me in the game."

"But, without viveka, he did another blunder. He prayed that I should not come to the hall as he did not want me to know that through ill-fate he was compelled to play this game. He tied me with his prayers and did not allow me to get into the hall; I was just outside the hall waiting for someone to call me through their prayers. Even when Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva were lost, they were only cursing Duryodhana and brooding over their fate; they forgot to call me."

Even Draupadi did not call me when Dusshasan held her hair and dragged her to fulfil his brother’s order. She was also arguing in the hall, based on her own abilities. She never called me. Finally good sense prevailed; when Dusshasan started disrobing her, she gave up depending on her own strength, and started shouting ‘Hari, Hari, Abhayam Krishna, Abhayam’ and shouted for me. Only then did I get an opportunity to save her modesty. I reached as soon as I was called. I saved her modesty. What is my mistake in this situation?"

"Wonderful explanation, Kanna, I am impressed.
However, I am not deceived. Can I ask you another question’, says Uddhava.

Krishna gives him the permission to proceed.

"Does it mean that you will come only when you are called! Will you not come on your own to help people in crisis, to establish justice?’, asks Uddhava.

Krishna smiles, ‘Uddhava, in this life everyone’s life proceeds based on their own karma. I don’t run it; I don’t interfere in it. I am only a ‘witness’. I stand close to you and keep observing whatever is happening. This is God’s Dharma’.

"Wow, very good Krishna. In that case, you will stand close to us, observe all our evil acts; as we keep committing more and more sins, you will keep watching us. You want us to commit more blunders, accumulate sins and suffer", says Uddhava.

Krishna says, ’Uddhava, please realise the deeper meaning of your statements. When you understand & realise that I am standing as witness next to you, how could you do anything wrong or bad. You definitely cannot do anything bad. You forget this and think that you can do things without my knowledge. That is when you get into trouble.'

"Dharmaraj’s ignorance was that he thought he can play the game of gambling without my knowledge. If Dharmaraj had realized that I am always present with everyone in the form of ‘Sakshi’ (witness), then wouldn’t the game have finished differently?"

Uddhava was spellbound and was so very overwhelmed by Bhakti.

He said, "What a deep philosophy, Kesava.

What a great truth!"

Even praying and performing pooja and calling Him for help are nothing but our feelings / beliefs. When we start believing that nothing moves without Him, how can we not feel his presence as Witness? How can we forget this and act? Throughout #BhagavadGita, this is the philosophy Krishna imparted to Arjuna.

He was the charioteer as well as guide for Arjuna, but he did not fight Arjuna's War’: Realize that the Ultimate Sakshi / the one who is the Witness is within & within you! And Merge in that God Consciousness!

Please realise that God is with us all the time at the time when you do good as well as when you commit mistake. Every time I read this gives a smile on my face.

Please spread knowledge by sharing this with your friends.

A Zen story for the Youth

There is a Zen story I have loved very much. Three friends had gone for a morning walk, and then they suddenly saw on the hill a Zen monk standing.

One of the friends said, ”I think he must have come with his friends; they must have been left behind and he is waiting for them.”

The Zen story

The other said, ”I cannot agree with you, because seeing that man I can say one thing is certain; he is not waiting for somebody who has been left behind, because he never looks back. He is just standing like a statue. Anybody who is waiting for somebody who is left behind will once in a while look, to see whether the fellow has come or not. But he is unmoving.

”He is not waiting for any friend. I think... I know this monk; he has a cow and the cow must have been lost in the thick forest. And that is the highest place from where he can look all over the forest and find the cow.”

The third man said, ”You have forgotten your own argument. If he was looking for the cow then he would be looking all around. He would not just stand there like a statue, focused in one direction; that is not the way of looking for a lost cow.” He said, ”As far as I can tell, he is doing his morning meditation.”

But the other two said that the basic philosophy of Zen is that you can meditate anywhere, you can meditate doing anything. What was the need to go to that hill in the early morning, in the cold, and stand there to meditate? ”He could have meditated in his cozy monastery where they have a special meditation temple. He could have been there – what was the need to go? No, we cannot agree.”

They argued; finally they said, ”It is better we go to the hill. It will be a waste of time but there is no other way to settle what he is doing.” Such is the curiosity of the human mind – very monkeyish. Now why trouble yourself? Let him do whatever he is doing. If he is searching for his cow it is his business; if he is waiting for his friend, it is his friend; if he is meditating it is his business – why should you poke your nose into it? But that’s how people are.

They became so excited arguing with each other that they decided, ”We have to go.” They forgot that they had come just for a small morning walk, and going to the hill will take hours, then coming down the hill... the sun will be almost directly overhead. But the question... they have to come to a conclusion. And in fact they want to prove that ”I am right.” Each of them wants to prove that ”I am right.” Now the only man who can decide is that monk.

They reached – huffing, puffing. The monk was standing there with half-closed eyes. That is the Buddhist way – to keep the eyes half closed when you are meditating, because if you close your eyes completely you may doze into sleep; that is more possible than going into meditation. If you keep your eyes fully open you will get interested in thousands of things. A beautiful woman passes by, and meditation is lost, anything can disturb. So keep the eyes half closed so you don’t see exactly what is happening outside, and you have to keep your eyes half open so you don’t fall asleep.

The first man asked, ”Master, we have heard much about you but we never had any chance to come to your monastery. Fortunately we had come for a morning walk and we saw you. We have a question I want you to answer: Are you not waiting for somebody who has been left behind?”

The monk with half-closed eyes said, ”I have nobody, I am alone. I was born alone, I will die alone, and between these two alonenesses I am not trying to fool myself that somebody is with me. I am alone and I am not waiting for anybody.”

The second man said happily, ”Then certainly your cow has got lost in the thick forest and you must be looking for it.”

The monk said, ”It seems strange idiots have come here! I don’t possess a single thing. I don’t have any cow, the monastery has it; that is not my business. And why should I waste my time looking for a cow?”

The third man was immensely happy. He said, ”Now you cannot deny: you must be meditating. Is it not so? – you are doing your morning meditation!”

The monk laughed; he said, ”You are the worst idiot of the three! Meditation is not done, it is not a doing. You can be in meditation but you cannot do it. It is a state. So certainly I am not doing meditation. I am in meditation, but for that I need not come to this hill; anywhere I am in meditation. Meditation is my consciousness. So you all get lost! And never disturb anybody who is standing with half-closed eyes, remember it.”

But they all three said, ”Forgive us – we are stupid, certainly we are stupid to walk miles and to ask you such.... We are feeling embarrassed. But now that we have come and now that we accept we are stupid, just one question from all of the three, not separate: Then what are you doing?”And the master said nothing.

In that nothing is the witness.

When you witness, you will be surprised that the boredom, the sadness, the blissfulness, the ecstasy – whatever it is – starts moving away from you. As your witnessing goes deeper, stronger, becomes more crystallized, any experience – good or bad, beautiful or ugly – disappears. There is pure nothingness all around you.

Witnessing is the only thing that can make you aware of an immense nothingness surrounding you. And in that immense nothingness.... It is not empty, remember. In English there is no word to translate the Buddhist word #shunyata. In that nothingness... it is not empty, it is full of your witness, full of your witnessing, full of the light of your witness.

You become almost a sun, and rays from the sun are moving into the nothingness to infinity.

What is hell and what is heaven?

A Japnese Emperor reached the Zen Master and asked him, “What is hell and what is heaven?”
The Zen Master looked at the Emperor and said “You son-of-a-bitch! Have you looked at your face in the mirror lately? I have never seen such a dirty-looking fellow before!”

The Emperor was enraged! He had not expected such a thing from such a great saint. You don’t know great saints! You know only small, puny saints. A real saint is not a cat, he is a tiger!
The Emperor was so enraged that he pulled his sword out of its sheath. He was going to cut the head of the Master. Just as the sword was coming closer, the Master said, “Wait! You are entering hell. This is the gate to hell.”

The way the Master said “Wait!” was so powerful that the Emperor’s hand was stopped in the middle, and he understood — “True!” He threw the sword away, fell at the feet of the Master, and the Master laughed and said, “This is the way to heaven! You have already experienced both within a single moment. The distance is not far.”

Whenever you are surrendered to existence, whenever you live in trust, love, prayer, joy, celebration, you are in heaven

Kick the drama and keep going ahead.

An elephant took a bath in a river and was walking on the road. When it neared a bridge, it saw a pig fully soaked in mud coming from the opposite direction. The elephant quietly moved to one side, allowed the dirty pig to pass and then continued its onward journey.

The unclean pig later spoke to its friends in arrogance, “See how big I am; even the elephant was afraid of me and moved to one side to let me pass”.

On hearing this, some elephants questioned their friend, the reason for its action. Was it out of fear?

The elephant smiled and replied,

“I could have easily crushed the pig under my leg, but I was clean and the pig was very unclean. By crushing it, my leg would have become dirty and I wanted to avoid it. Hence, I moved aside.”

Flash: Realized souls will avoid contact with negativity not out of fear, but out of desire to keep away from impurity though they are strong enough to destroy the impurity.You need not react to every opinion, every comment, or every situation.

Kick the drama and keep going ahead.

Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.

Lisa, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work. They had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" Lisa replied, "Yes sir." "Okay" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Lisa hesitated a moment with a bowed head. Then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scale went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales.

The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust.

Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was instead a prayer which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Lisa thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it."

It was sometime later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs.

A lesson for Overprotective Parents

In two independent houses,separated by a compound two people were living, in one a retired person and in the other a techie. They had planted identical saplings on either sides of the compound.

The techie used to give lot of water and manure to the plants.The retired,just small quantity of water and little manure.

The techies plant grew into lush green,leafy robust plant.

The retired person's plant was a near normal but much luxuriant than his neighbor's.

One night there was a heavy rain with gusty wind.
Next morning both came out to see the fate of the plants.

To techie's surprise his plant had got uprooted where as his neighbor's was unharmed.

Techie asks the retired as why his plant was uprooted despite such a good care where as the neighbor had hardly cared.

The retired person's answer should be a lesson for all of us.

Inspirational Stories

Look young man, you had supplied every thing a plant would need,in abundance and the plant did not have to go in search of it.Your roots did not have go down. I was supplying just enough to keep it alive. For the rest roots had to go down into the ground to fulfil it's needs.

Since your roots were superficial the rain and wind could easily fell it.

Since my roots were pretty deeply grounded they could withstand the onslaught of the nature.

The same applies to your children too.

I try to read the Bhagavat Gita just like you but I don't understand it [ story]

An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson.

Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Bhagavat Gita. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagavat Gita just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bhagavat Gita do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied,"Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless ?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Bhagavat Gita. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Krishna in our lives."

You should try to become a shadow of God [ Inspirational Story ]

There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be so godly. This saint went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. His day could be summed up by two words — he gave, he forgave — yet these words never passed his lips. They were expressed in his ready smile, his kindness, forbearance, and charity.

The angels said to God, “Lord, grant him the gift of miracles.”

God replied, “Ask what it is that he wishes.”

They said to the saint, “Would you like the touch of your hands to heal the sick?”

“No,” answered the saint. “I would rather God do that.”

“Would you like to convert guilty souls and bring back wandering hearts to the right path?”

“No, that is the angels’ mission. It is not for me to convert.”

“Would you like to become a model of patience, attracting men by the luster of your virtues, and thus glorifying God?”

“No,” replied the saint. “If men should be attracted to me, they would become estranged from God.” “What is it that you desire, then?” asked the angels.

“What can I wish for?” asked the saint smiling. “That God gives me his grace; with that would I not have everything?”

The angels said, “You must ask for a miracle, or one will be forced upon you.”

“Very well,” said the saint. “That I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.”

The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: every time the saint’s shadow fell behind him or to either side, so that he could not see it, it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow.

When the saint walked along, his shadow, thrown on the ground on either side or behind him, made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried-up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women.

The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. The people, respecting his humility, followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name, and called him “The Holy Shadow.”

This is the ultimate: one has to become the holy shadow, just a shadow of God. This is the greatest revolution that can happen to a human being: the transfer of the center. You are no longer your own center; God becomes your center. You live like his shadow. You are not powerful, because you don’t have any center to be powerful. You are not virtuous; you don’t have any center to be virtuous. You are not even religious; you don’t have any center to be religious. You are simply not, a tremendous emptiness, with no barriers and blocks, so the divine can flow through you unhindered, uninterpreted, untouched — so the divine can flow through you as he is, not as you would like him to be. He does not pass through your center — there is none. The center is lost.

This is the meaning of this sutra: that finally you have to sacrifice your center so you cannot think in terms of the ego again, you cannot utter “I,” to annihilate yourself utterly, to erase yourself utterly. Nothing belongs to you; on the contrary, you belong to God. You become a holy shadow.

May we all have the wisdom to ask, and answer, the wise questions (story)

A young man in his mid-twenties knocks on the door of a renowned Guru. He says: “I’ve come to you because I wish to study Vedas.”

“Do you know Sanskrit?” the Guru asks.

“No,” replies the young man.

“Have you studied any Indian philosophy?”

“No. But don’t worry. I just finished my doctoral dissertation at Harvard on Socratic logic. So now, I would just like to round out my education with a little study of the Vedas.”

“I doubt,” the Guru says, “that you are ready to study Vedas. It is the deepest knowledge ever known. If you wish, however, I am willing to examine you in logic, and if you pass that test I will teach you Vedas.”

The young man agrees.

Guru holds up two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face; the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

The young man stares at the Guru. “Is that really a test in logic?”

The Guru nods.

”The one with the dirty face washes his face“- he answers confidently.

“Wrong. The one with the clean face washes his face. Examine the logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. So, the one with the clean face washes his face.”

“Very clever,” the young man says. “Give me another test.”

The Guru again holds up two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face, the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

“We have already established that. The one with the clean face washes his face.”

“Wrong. Each one washes his face. Examine the logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. So, the one with the clean face washes his face. When the one with the dirty face sees the one with the clean face wash his face, he also washes his face. So, each one washes his face.”

“I didn’t think of that,” says the young man. It’s shocking to me that I could make an error in logic. Test me again.”

The Guru holds up two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face; the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

“Each one washes his face.”

“Wrong. Neither one washes his face. Examine the logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. But when the one with the clean face sees the one with the dirty face doesn’t wash his face, he also doesn’t wash his face. So, neither one washes his face.”

The young man is desperate. “I am qualified to study Vedas. Please give me one more test.”

He groans, though, when the Guru lifts two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face; the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

“Neither one washes his face.”

“Wrong. Do you now see why logic is an insufficient basis for studying Vedas? Tell me, how is it possible for two men to come down the same chimney, and for one to come out with a clean face and the other with a dirty face? Don’t you see? The whole question is nonsense, foolishness, and if you spend your whole life trying to answer foolish questions, all your answers will be foolish, too.”

May we all have the wisdom to ask, and answer, the wise questions!

If you help others without desiring anything in return, you would receive everything !

In Britain, children call him Father Christmas. In Germany, he is Kriss Kringle. And of course, you know him as a Santa Claus. But do you know that hundreds of years ago, Santa Claus was called by the name 'St. Nicholas'?

Hundreds of years ago, Nicholas lived in a seaside town named Myra which is now known as Turkey. Ever since Nicholas was a small child, he loved God more than anything. He studied hard, prayed often and followed God by helping the poor.

There was a man living in Myra who was very poor. This man had no wife but he had three young daughters who were of marriageable age. This man was so poor that he had no money for his daughters' marriages. Nicholas heard about this man's condition. One late night, Nicholas crept to the man's home and threw something through the window. It was a bag of gold which was enough to pay for his eldest daughter's wedding.

The man was overjoyed and his daughter was too. She married happily but her father was still left with two younger daughters. Nicholas returned one night and again threw a bag of gold through the window. The father rejoiced but he wondered who was helping him and why.

Of course, Nicholas didn't want the man to know. He believed that it's best to help others without letting them know we're helping them. If we help others in this way, it proves that we help because we truly want to and not because to be praised by others for it.

But the father was determined to know who was helping him. He had one daughter left and no money for his youngest daughter's marriage. He certainly hoped he would be helped again, especially because he wanted to find out who was doing it. So, he locked the windows and watched the door. Nicholas still wanted to help but he didn't want to be seen. Therefore, in the back of the house far from the father's sight, he dropped the bag of gold for the third daughter right down the chimney!!

This way St. Nicholas helped the poor man and never expected anything in return for his help. He only thought about what he could give to those who needed help.

#MORAL

Anyone like St. Nicholas is actually a superhuman & such a person is blessed by God & all the Deities because of his nobility. In today's world, many people help others but they wish to be recognized well in the society & they wish to get something in return. But St.Nicholas was such kind of a person who always helped others & never expected anything in return. The law of nature says that if you help others without desiring anything in return, you would receive everything & would never find difficulty throughout your life.

Always Keep Your Eyes Open and Stay Alert [Story ]

Once upon a time there was a lion that grew so old that he was unable to kill any prey for his food. So, he said to himself, I must do something to stay my stomach else I will die of starvation.

He kept thinking and thinking and at last an idea clicked him. He decided to lie down in the cave pretending to be ill and then who-so-ever will come to inquire about his health, will become his prey. The old lion put his wicked plan into practice and it started working. Many of his well-wishers got killed. But evil is short lived.

One day, a fox came to visit the ailing lion. As foxes are clever by nature, the fox stood at the mouth of the cave and looked about. His sixth sense worked and he came to know the reality. So, he called out to the lion from outside and said, How are you, sir?

The lion replied, I am not feeling well at all. But why don’t you come inside?

Then the fox replied, I would love to come in, sir! But on seeing, all foot prints going to your cave and none coming out, I would be foolish enough to come in. Saying so, the fox went to alert the other animals.


Moral: Always Keep Your Eyes Open and Stay Alert before Walking in Any Situation.

FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION ( Story )

A Man opened his Wife's closet of clothes. It was lined with Sarees that she had worn just once, may be twice.There were others that had been kept away unused, waiting for a special occasion.

He opened her Jewellery Box. It was neatly packed with necklaces and earrings that had not been worn for so long that he had even forgotten that she had them. There were rings and bracelets that she had cherished with care. There were old bangles that his Mother had given to her. They too, lay packed in silken pouches all for a Special Occasion.

He moved to the crockery closet in their dining room. Rows of crystal glasses and expensive chinaware, stared at him sadly.

The silver cutlery set that he had bought her still lay in its suede jacket, waiting for a special occasion. There were so many Souvenirs around the House that stared gloomily at him.

He looked at his beloved Wife's Picture hanging on the wall, garlanded with freshly strung Jasmine flowers.
He had performed her last rites just yesterday. She had passed away, after a prolonged and painful illness.
All the things that she had bought, with so much fervour, but never got to use, hit him like arrows. He was full of regret.

Why had she not worn those lovely Sarees? Why had she spent her life scrimping and scraping for the tomorrow that she never woke up to? Why had they not dined in their silver and crystal?

No one is as Special as you and your Family.
No moment or occasion is as special as NOW.

There is surely a lot of sense in saving for a rainy day, but at the same time we must learn to live in the present. Live life to the fullest and don't worry about the next day, it's already tomorrow in Australia!

Past is History; Future is a Mystery;
Today is a Gift from God, that is why it is called the ‘Present!'

Positivity is the biggest strength in life

One teacher had two disciples. One of them had an auspicious positive vision and he always sought out good points from anything he observed while the other one had an inauspicious vision and always found out some negative or faults from his observations.

One day, the teacher went out to a park with both the disciples and while wandering in the garden, they came across a mango tree from which some ripe and juicy mangoes were hanging. On seeing this, the teacher thought to test both of his students. Therefore, he called them beside him and asked them to observe the tree full of mangoes very carefully. Then, he asked the first one, "My dear child, what do you think of this mango tree?"

The disciple answered instantly, "Teacher, in spite of people hitting this tree with stones, it gives us sweet and juicy mangoes. It feels hurt but still it gives us fruits. I wish all human beings learn this important message from the mango tree - to share their belongings even if they have to suffer for this."

After that, the teacher asked the same question to the other disciple, "My dear child, what do you think of this mango tree?" The student aggressively answered, "Teacher, this mango tree is no good and will not give mangoes by itself but only when we hit it with stones and sticks. Therefore, we should hit it hard to get sweet mangoes from it. That is the only way to get these mangoes. It is also clear from this tree that in order to get good fruits from others, we need to be strict and only when we be strict, then and only then will we get happiness."

Teacher was delighted with the answer given by the first student because he had an admirable vision and appreciated the tree with positive vision while on the other hand the second student's answer dissatisfied him because he saw the tree with negative vision and insisted on learning the wrong way of getting fruits in life. He showered his blessings on the first disciple whole-heartedly.

So friends, even though the situation is same, it still depends on how we interpret it, which shows our mental status and the way we think of others. Let's take an example of lovely roses that have thorns on them. A person with an inauspicious vision would say, "Oh God! Even these beautiful roses have thorns on them", while a person with an auspicious vision would say, "Wow! What a wonderful creation of nature - a beautiful rose amongst thorns."

Always develop a vision that can find out something good even from a bad thing or person. And by doing so, slowly your mind and intellect will become pure day by day.

DEVELOP A POSITIVE VISION AND ALWAYS FIND OUT SOMETHING GOOD FROM EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.

MORAL: Positivity is the biggest strength in life. Success follows who are positive in all situations. Many great celebrities had one or more weaknesses but they were always positive for self, others and situations and hence became successful by overcoming all sorts of obstacles. A little poison of negativity about others in our mind can destroy our relationships with them. Everybody has definitely something that can be appreciated, we only need to apply positive vision and appreciate others.

What is The Secret of Success ?

A young man asked Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, the secret of Success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When the water got up to their necks, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The man struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him under water until he started turning blue.

The young man struggled hard and finally managed to get up. The first thing he did was to gasp and take a deep breath. Socrates asked, “What did you want the most when you were under the water?”
The man replied “Air”.

Socrates said: “That’s the most secret to success. When you want success as badly as you want air, you will get it. There is no other secret”.

Reflection: A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishments. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results…

Necessity is mother of all inventions !!

Stay away from Anger.It hurts..Only You! [Story]

An American man walked into a restaurant in London. As soon as he entered, he noticed an African man sitting in the corner.

 Imagesource

So he walked over to the counter, removed his wallet and shouted, "Waiter! I am buying food for everyone in this restaurant, except that black African guy over there!" So the waiter collected the money from the man and began serving free food to everyone in the restaurant, except the African.
However,insteadof becoming upset, the African simply looked up at the American and shouted, "Thank you!" That infuriated the man. So once again, the American took out his wallet and shouted, "Waiter! This time I am buying bottles of wine and additional food for everyone in this bar, except for that African sitting in the corner over there!" So the waiter collected the money from the man and began serving free food and wine to everyone in the bar except the African.

When the waiter finished serving the food and drinks, once again, instead of becoming angry, the African simply smiled at the American man and shouted, "Thank you!"
 

That made the American man furious. So he leaned over on the counter and said to the
waiter, "What is wrong with that African man? I have bought food and drinks for everyone in this bar except him, but instead of becoming angry, he just sits there and smiles at me and shouts 'Thank you.' Is he mad???"

The waiter smiled at the American and said, "No, he is not mad. He is the owner of this  restaurant.

May your enemies work unknowingly in your favour.

💬 Stay away from Anger..It hurts ..Only You!
💬 If you are right then there is no need to get angry,
💬 And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry.
💬 Patience with family is love,
💬 Patience with others is respect.
💬 Patience with self is confidence and Patience with GOD is faith.
💬 Never Think Hard about the PAST, It brings Tears...
 💬 Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.
💬 Don't think more about the FUTURE, It brings Fear...
💬 Live this Moment with a Smile,It brings Cheer.
💬Every test in our life makes us bitter or better,
💬 Every problem comes to make us or break us,
💬 The choice is ours whether we become victims or victorious.
💬 Beautiful things are not always good but good things are always beautiful
💬 Do you know why God created gaps between fingers?
💬 So that someone who is special to you comes and fills those gaps by holding your hand forever.
💬 Happiness keeps You Sweet..But being sweet brings happiness.

Inspiring Story by Sri Sri Ravishankar

"A plum once said, 'just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know who I am. How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover.' Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate. Never stoop down in order to gain recognition.  Never let go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest glory - your uniqueness, for momentary validation. Even Gandhi was not accepted by many people. The group that does not accept you as you is not your world. 

There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king /queen by just being yourself. Find that world... in fact, that world will find you. What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold cannot. The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted.

Everything and everybody has been designed with a proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfill only by being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose. You are here to be you... just you. There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and he was sent; a time when a Christ was required and he was sent; a time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent; a time when a J.R.D.Tata was required and he was sent. There came a time when you were required on this planet and hence you were sent. 

Let us be the best we can be. Don't miss yourself and let the world not miss you. In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you and to the infinite of time to come, there will be no one like you. Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the mold after making you, so that another of your kind will never get repeated.You are original. You are rare. You are unique. You are a wonder. You are a masterpiece. .. your Master's piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness."

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Let's drop fear -- We are all made to fly !

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly.

He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch.

Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.”

In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.”

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”

With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”

We are all made to fly — to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But at times we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, and the mundane. So for the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling. Let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight!

If you were his Business Partner, how would you feel? [Story]

One day, a very wealthy man was walking on the road. Along the way, he saw a beggar on the sidewalk. 

The rich man looks kindly on the beggar and asked, "How did you become a beggar? 

The beggar said, "Sir, I've been applying for a job for a year now but haven't found any. You look like a rich man. Sir, if you'll give me a job, I'll stop begging." 

The rich man smiled and said, "I want to help you. But I won't give you a job. I'll do something better. I want you to be my business partner. Let's start a business together. The beggar blinked hard. He didn't understand what the older man was saying. "What do you mean, Sir? 

"I own a rice plantation. You could sell my rice in the market. I'll provide you the sacks of rice. I'll pay the rent for the market stall.. All you'll have to do is sell my rice. And at the end of the month, as Business Partners, we'll share in the profits. Tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. 

"Oh Sir," he said, "you're a gift from Heaven. You're the answer to my prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He then paused and said, Sir, how will we divide the profits ? Do I keep 10% and you get the 90%? Do I keep 5% and you get the 95%? I'll be happy with any arrangement. The rich man shook his head and chuckled. "No, I want you to give me the 10%. And you keep the 90%. For a moment, the beggar couldn't speak. When he tried to speak, it was gibberish. Uh, gee, uh, wow, I mean, huh? He couldn't believe his ears. The deal was too preposterous. 

The rich man laughed more loudly. He explained, I don't need the money, my friend. I'm already wealthy beyond what you can ever imagine. I want you to give me 10% of your profits so you grow in gratitude The beggar knelt down before his benefactor and said, Yes Sir, I will do as you say. Even now, I'm so grateful for what you've done for me!

And so that was what happened. He forgets where the blessings came from. Each day, the beggar now dressed a little bit better operated a store selling rice in the market. He worked very hard. He woke up early in the morning and slept late at night. And sales were brisk, also because the rice was of good quality. And after 30 days, the profits were astounding. 

At the end of the month, as the ex-beggar was counting the money, and liking very much the feeling of money in his hands, an idea grew in his mind. He told himself, Gee, why should I give 10% to my Business Partner? I didn't see him the whole month! I was the one who was working day and night for this business. I did all this work! I deserve the 100% profits! 

A few minutes later, the rich man was knocking on the door to collect his 10% of the profits. The ex-beggar opened the door and said, "You don't deserve the 10%. I worked hard for this. I deserve all of it!" And he slammed the door.

If you were his Business Partner, how would you feel? 

Hi, this is exactly what happens to us, God is Our Business Partner. God gave us life-every single moment, every single breath, every single second. God gave us talents-ability to talk, to create, to earn money. God gave us a body-eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, heart. God gave us mind- imagination, emotions, reasoning, language. 

Sharing 10% with him is an expression of gratitude and love. So never forget to do your bit and do it with immense gratitude, joy & love.

There is always the other side to whatever you experience in this world [ Story]

A Father was reading a magazine and his little daughter every now and then distracted him. To keep her busy, he tore one page on which was printed the map of the world. He tore it into pieces and asked her to go to her room and put them together to make the map again.

He was sure she would take the whole day to get it done. But the little one came back within minutes with perfect map……When he asked how she could do it so quickly, she said, “Oh…. Dad, there is a man’s face on the other side of the paper….. I made the face perfect to get the map right.” She ran outside to play leaving the father surprised.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

There is always the other side to whatever you experience in this world. Whenever we come across a challenge or a puzzling situation, look at the other side…. You will be surprised to see an easy way to tackle the problem.

Youth needs to learn to get back on their feet. [ Story]

Baby giraffes never go to school. But they learn a very important lesson rather early in life. A lesson that all of us would do well to remember. The birth of a baby giraffe is quite an earth-shaking event. The baby falls from its mother's womb, some eight feet above the ground. It shrivels up and lies still, too weak to move. The mother giraffe lovingly lowers her neck to smooch the baby giraffe. And then something unbelievable happens. She lifts her long leg and kicks the baby giraffe, sending it flying up in the air and tumbling down on the ground. 

As the baby lies curled up, the mother kicks the baby again and again until the baby giraffe, still trembling and tired, pushes its limbs and for the first time learns to stand on its feet. Happy to see the baby standing on its own feet, the mother giraffe comes over and gives it yet another kick. The baby giraffe falls one more time, but now quickly recovers and stands up. 

Mama Giraffe is delighted. She knows that her baby has learnt an important lesson: Never mind how hard you fall, always remember to pick yourself up and get back on your feet.

Why does the mother giraffe do this? 

She knows that lions and leopards love giraffe meat. So unless the baby giraffe quickly learns to stand and run with the pack, it will have no chance of survival.

Most of us though are not quite as lucky as baby giraffes. No one teaches us to stand up every time we fall. When we fail, when we are down, we just give up. No one kicks us out of our comfort zone to remind us that to survive and succeed, we need to learn to get back on our feet.